NEWS

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

JUDGE OKAYS EXPERT IN PACHESO CASE
According to the Murray Ledger and Times, Judge James Jameson ruled Friday afternoon that the prosecution in the case of a Mayfield man accused of killing four members of a Calloway County family will have a chance to have an expert interview the man in advance of his January trial. The judge did specify that the interview will have limits. Pascasio Pacheco’s defense team believes extreme emotional distress is an issue in his case, and Jameson ruled that this was the only area that the prosecution’s expert would be able to cover in the interview. Pacheco is accused of causing the deaths of Bulmaro Arellano, his wife Marisol Arellano-Hernandez, and their two children on November 17, 2015, inside a house south of the Murray. Pacheco’s trial begins January 7.

ALLEN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
A Calloway County grand jury last week indicted a Murray woman accused of killing a man in late September at a mobile home east of Murray on Heather Lane. 54-year old Tammy Allen was indicted on charges of murder-domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Jimmie Craig Taylor. An investigation showed that Taylor was shot in the head twice with a .380 caliber weapon. Allen was arrested in Jackson, Tennessee, three days after she allegedly fled following the shooting. Taylor’s body was found underneath the mobile home.

HUNTER GETS “TWO HEADED” DEER
A Kentucky hunter is celebrating a unique kill. Hunter Bob Long was hunting in Ballard County when killed a buck that had the decaying head of another buck attached to its antlers. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife said they suspect the two deer got into a fight and their antlers got intertwined and that the head likely came loose and separated from the body.

OAK GROVE GETS RACETRACK
A harness racetrack and gambling parlor is coming to Western Kentucky, near Fort Campbell. Oak Grove in Christian County will be the site of the 150-million-dollar project. The joint venture between Keeneland and Churchill Downs was awarded a racetrack license by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Friday. It’s the first new racetrack license in nearly 25 years in Kentucky.

ONE INJURED IN GRAVES ACCIDENT
Graves County Sheriff’s Department deputies were dispatched to a collision with injuries and entrapment Friday at the intersection of KY 994 and Wice Church Road in northern Graves County. Upon arrival, deputies found a vehicle on it’s top near a wood line. 67-year old Debra Dempsey of Paducah, was still in the vehicle and spoke with first responders. She was freed by non-mechanical means and transported to Baptist Health-Paducah for treatment of a medical emergency and injuries from the collision. The investigation revealed her vehicle left the roadway, went airborne and overturned. Dempsey had left her residence in Paducah to retrieve her grandchild from an Elementary School in Paducah and said she did not know where she was or how she got there.

GRANT BRINGS NEW SHOW TO LBL
The Friends of Land Between the Lakes have received a grant from the Kentucky Colonels to purchase Habitat Earth, a new show for the Golden Pond Planetarium. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand and produced by the California Academy of Sciences, Habitat Earth takes viewers on a stunning journey exploring the interconnectedness of life on Planet Earth. The show will debut to the public in 2019. The Golden Pond Planetarium features seven educational shows in the dome daily and is open seven days a week. The Friends of Land Between the Lakes work in partnership with the USDA Forest Service to create opportunities for educational experiences at LBL for tens of thousands of visitors every year.

KTC SUGGESTS ALTERNATE ROUTES FOR TRAVELERS
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet advises motorists that current eastbound and westbound lane restrictions on the I-24 Tennessee River Bridge at mile marker 30 will remain in place this week and that holiday travelers should consider alternate routes. This lane restriction between I-24 Exit 27 and Exit 31 means significant traffic delays are likely during peak driving periods throughout Thanksgiving week. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is suggesting cross-country travelers consider an extended alternate route to avoid delays in this work zone. A trip from Calvert City to Cadiz along I-24 covers 41 miles with about a 38 minute travel time. A self-detour along the extended alternate route via I-69 South and US 68 East between Calvert City and Cadiz covers 48 miles and takes about 56 minutes. While the suggested alternate adds about 18 minutes of travel time, it may help motorists avoid delays of an hour or more when holiday traffic is heaviest.

SEAT BELT REMINDER FROM KOHS
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety is joining in a national effort to send Thanksgiving travelers an important lifesaving reminder to buckle up, every trip, every time. There were 1,090 crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday last year in Kentucky, resulting in 231 injuries and four fatalities. Of those fatalities, one was not wearing a seat belt and one involved alcohol. Of the 614 motor vehicle fatalities so far this year, 53.3 percent were not restrained. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent.

BEWARE OF HOLIDAY KITCHEN FIRES
There are more than three times as many home cooking fires on Thanksgiving as a typical day of the year, making it by far the leading day for US home cooking fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. This sharp spike is a powerful reminder to use caution when cooking this year’s Thanksgiving feast. According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires year-round, accounting for nearly half of all US home fires and reported home fire injuries, as well as one-fifth of home fire deaths. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires and fire deaths and 15 percent of the fatalities are attributed to clothing ignitions. Experts say awareness can play a critical role in keeping Thanksgiving fire-free.

IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
FRANKFORT—Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis is reacting to some “hateful and disrespectful” emails with a message to educators. Lewis sent an email out to all Kentucky educators Friday encouraging them all to use civil tones and refrain from personal attacks when defending their beliefs. He didn’t provide details in the message about what the emails he had received from teachers said.

FRANKFORT—A state senator in Kentucky says companies should be allowed to discriminate against people who smoke. Republican Sen. John Schickel of Union pre-filed his proposal last week. The bill would remove smokers from the protected classes outlined in Kentucky’s employment anti-discrimination law and allow employers to lawfully refuse to hire or terminate people who smoke. Currently, state law protects smokers as long as the employee “complies with any workplace policy concerning smoking.”

FT. CAMPBELL—Some military families are set for Thanksgiving thanks to volunteers. They handed out turkeys to Fort Campbell soldiers and their families in Clarksville, Tennessee on Saturday. Post personnel said they don’t get that support everywhere and they appreciate the effort of the volunteers. Organizers said one-thousand turkeys went so fast, they’re planning a bigger giveaway next year.

WASHINGTON DC—Republican Senator Rand Paul is calling for asylum for a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy. Asia Bibi was recently released after Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted her of blasphemy following eight years on death row. A lower court is now expected to decide her fate. Last week, Senator Paul told CNN he’s working with religious leaders in this country to raise money for Bibi and her family to come to the U.S. if she’s given asylum.

BOWLING GREEN—Senator Rand Paul says the evidence is “overwhelming” that the Saudi crown prince was involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Kentucky Republican told CBS’ Face the Nation he doesn’t think “we can sweep this under the rug.” His comments come after a CIA report which concluded that the crown prince ordered the murder. Paul also says he thinks the U.S. should end arms sales to Saudi Arabia instead of placing sanctions.

LEXINGTON—A University of Kentucky student is facing federal charges related to threats made against the campus. Haily Duvall allegedly made threats against White Hall under a false name on SnapChat. Before her arrest, she had called campus police and several media outlets about the threats. Police say she admitted to making the threats after authorities saw the false account on her SnapChat as she was attempting to log in while she was being questioned.

LEXINGTON—A UK student is the sole winner to come from the Kentucky District Round of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Tenor Taylor Comstock took the top honors and moves on to compete in the Central Region round of auditions in January at DePaul University in Chicago. Comstock is in his first year of graduate school at the university.

OWENSBORO—Owensboro police are investigating after a man was stabbed. Officers responded to the 300 block of Hale Avenue where they found a male victim with a stab wound. He was taken to the hospital with what were believed to be non-life threatening injuries.

NASHVILLE—Officials are confirming a series of mysterious flaming objects seen falling over the skies of Nashville this past Saturday night were not alien spacecraft or a meteor shower. Dozens of reports came in describing one big flame in the sky which would then break into three smaller flames and disappear. Officials with Vanderbilt University said the UFOs were actually U.S. soldiers with The Black Daggers Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team. The school had invited the Black Daggers to parachute into Vanderbilt Stadium ahead of the Commodores game against Ole Miss to deliver the game ball.

TENNESSEE—A Lawrence County man wanted for allegedly raping a child is under arrest. Simon Dean Porter was arrested in Scottsboro, Alabama yesterday morning. The Lawrenceburg man is accused of abusing a 16-month-old boy earlier this month. Last week, the 33-year-old was added to the TBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list.

TENNESSEE—The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing man. Deputies say 22-year-old Andrew Lewis has been missing since Saturday. Lewis was last seen wearing Batman pajama pants, a T-shirt and possibly a blue and black jacket. He reportedly suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. Authorities say he likes fishing and anyone around lakes should keep an eye out for him.

TENNESSEE—The Blue Angels are returning to Smyrna. The Navy’s flight demonstration squadron is scheduled to participate in the Great Tennessee Air Show in June. It will be the first time the Blue Angels have been back in Smyrna since the death of Captain Jeff Kuss. Captain Kuss was killed during a training exercise in 2016.

TENNESSEE—Music City Blue Star Moms are putting up a tree at the Nashville International Airport. The Tree of Heroes was decorated yesterday. They put a star on the tree next to the baggage claim service desk. They want to add the names of service personnel and are asking families of service members to contact them.